#67 – The Deadlift, Pt. 2

03 Apr #67 – The Deadlift, Pt. 2

Matt and Scott wrap up their deep dive into the Big 4 lifts (squat, press, bench press, deadlift) with the second of two episodes on the deadlift. After walking through the 5 Step Setup progression in Part 1, they discuss some heavy deadlifts in practice, and the importance of the high hips position in pulling any sufficiently heavy deadlift off the floor.

Also in this episode, Matt discusses some of his favorite cues for achieving lumbar extension, how to know you’ve really locked out a deadlift, and how to properly lower a deadlift. Finally, they discuss programming: why the novice LP calls for only a single set of 5, what to do when you can no longer deadlift each session, and how deadlift programming evolves past the novice phase.

Ed Coan’s 887lb conventional deadlift at 1998 WPF Worlds. Notice how his hips rise to a high position – such that the bar is situated over the middle of his foot – despite the low hips start position.